Pavel Novak was the Wild's fifth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.
Pavel Novak was the Wild's fifth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.
The Minnesota Wild are considered to have one of the better prospect pools in the NHL. Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club’s top 30 prospects. Every player on the list will be 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Wild or are on AHL or NHL deals and have played less than 40 NHL games.
Rest of the list:
#27 Pavel Novak, RW
Age: 22
Shoots: Right
Height: 5'9''
Weight: 170
Contract: 24/25
Draft: 2020 fifth-round pick (146)
Last Year's Rankings: Not Ranked
Projection: Skilled bottom-six forward with offensive upside
Pavel Novak was a proven scorer in the Western Hockey League (WHL) and was solid in Czechia when he was on a loan. He also, always has preformed well at World Juniors tournaments.
Right before what would've been his first season in Iowa with the Wild's AHL team, Novak was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. He missed the whole 2022-23 season. But after recovering for over a year Novak returned to playing hockey again as a cancer surviver.
In his first season in the Wild's organization, Novak recorded two goals and three points in 13 AHL games and had 14 goals, 13 assists, and 27 points in 44 ECHL games with the Iowa Heartlanders.
Novak, 22, enters the 2024-25 season on the final year of his contract. He will be a restricted free agent (RFA) following the season.
The 5-foot-9 forward has proven to be an offensive threat earlier in his career. He recorded 54 goals, 76 assists, and 130 points in 117 games in the WHL with the Kelowna Rockets.
He has recorded 41 goals, 27 assists, and 68 points in 75 games for Czechia in International Juniors Tournaments as well.
After getting his feet wet last year and with some pro hockey under his belt, look for Novak to continue to grow his game and get back to being a proven scorer and point-getter.
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